


Take My Hand

by Beckon



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Running Away, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-07
Updated: 2014-03-07
Packaged: 2018-01-14 21:53:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1280149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beckon/pseuds/Beckon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was Lekain's wife and he was his General. Often times, their paths crossed and often times, they dreamed of escaping.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take My Hand

_"Just make sure she doesn't try to run away again."_

It had been difficult to hide the cringe that ran across his skin at the Senator's words.

_"Yes Sir."_

And it had been even more difficult to agree to them.

Even now, hours later, the words stuck coldly to his skin as he made his way through the wide corridors of the Senator's luxurious mansion. It seemed like with every step there were dozens of expensive items set out as decorations- or rather, as bragging rights. He had been to plenty of mansions belonging to the Begnion Senators and each one was decorated in the similar manner; it was as if they were all trying to outdo one another.

Of course, Senator Lekain's was, by far, the most expensively captivating.

It almost made him sick.

He tried not to pay attention to the weird, oddly morbid paintings that hung on the wall as he climbed the staircase to the second floor. Simply being inside of this place made his skin crawl.

The soft keys of a piano caught his attention as he came to the top of the stairs, causing him to pause briefly in surprise. He didn't even think the Senator owned a piano- then again, he tried not to pay attention to any of those details.

And if anything else, he didn't know she could play one.

He tried to follow the music as best he could, eventually wandering into the left wing before he spotted a door that had been left partly open. Pausing just outside of the it, he peeked inside in hopes of not disturbing her.

She had her back to him, but he could still see how her fingers moved from one key to the next in graceful succession.

Senator Lekain gave little credit to the woman that had practically been sold to him as a wife.

She was undeniably beautiful and talented.

She was intelligent and interesting and… he couldn't stand to see her next to the Senator. She was little more than a trophy, a prop, to him- something he could brag about and show off, just like he did with the decorations on his walls. The worst part was Lekain knew she was beautiful, that's why he wanted her the way he did. And it was disgusting.

She used to talk about running away from this place, but she never went through with it; she was terrified of the ramifications that could come to her family if she did. She didn't want to dishonor them- even though they had been the ones to push her into this hell marriage.

She was unhappy here.

And it killed him to see her like that.

He brought his knuckles to the door and gently knocked- hearing the shriek of a wrong note hit in surprise. She gave a partial turn to see who it was and he swore, almost immediately, her pale lips gave into a smile as she recognized him and beckoned him in.

When Senator Lekain had business out of the city, he always called for him to watch after her; he insisted he needed full security to keep her in line.

At first he objected, insisting he had been hired on as a private General- not as a babysitter. But the Senator was not one to be corrected and after having both his career and his family threatened, he found the argument wasn't worth fighting.

The Senator humored that he could see it as keeping watch on his property.

He didn't consider these visits as official business, and so he usually avoided wearing his armor during them- and there were two reasons for that. One, he considered it rude to wear armor inside of a private and personal establishment with no indications of battle; two, because it was easier to deal with her dressed this way.

Stepping into the large, mostly unfurnished room, he made his way over to her as she bundled up her dress and moved her legs over the piano bench; her song long forgotten about now. She held her hand out for him and he gently took it before he helped her to her feet.

"Is he gone?" Astrid whispered.

"He left an hour ago." He nodded as he lifted her hand to his lips. With her so close, he could see the soft, red hue of her eyes; they were absolutely breath taking. "He'll be gone for three days' time."

She smiled softly as she moved her hands to cup his face before she pulled him down to her; her lips brushing against his.

She was unhappy here, but for those few, rare times, he could make her happy.

"Not long enough."

He kissed her- only for a few brief, seconds before he pulled away. "Do you want to play me a song first?"

She laughed at his remark and pulled him down once again. "I'll play you a song afterwards."

Her hands took him by his own as she pulled him along and lead him out of the music room. Most of the corridors were empty at this time of day with a majority of the house workers working on the first floor. They still tried to be cautious around the maids, but there was no denying that the workers knew exactly what they were doing.

She led him into her personal bedroom and he pushed the door closed behind them.

The door was barely closed before her lips were on his again.

This was what they both had been waiting for- what they were always longing for.

Her fingers curled against his jaw while his hands moved around to her back, already busy with untying the long ribbons that crisscrossed over the back of her dress.

She clung to his chest as her fingers worked at opening the tight collar of his tunic. Once she had pulled it open to reveal his throat, her fingers dropped down to tug off the belts around his waist.

He pulled the back of her dress loose and began to slide it off of her shoulders. It was terrible to admit he knew how rough he could be with the thin material; he knew how hard he could pull and tug on it without leaving stretch marks in it- or worse, tears. His fingers tangled in the loose fabric as he slowly guided it down her body. His lips dipped to her shoulder, down to her collarbones, gradually kissing every inch of skin that was revealed beneath her dress. His lips were at her bare breast, pressed to her ribcage, and eventually at her stomach as her dress crumbled into a pool at her feet. He paused at the dip of her navel and felt the light shiver that trembled beneath his lips.

His hands slowly worked up along the backs of her legs as he got to his feet before he wrapped his arms around her hips and hoisted her up against him. Removing her from the crumpled mess of her gown, he carried her over to her bed and laid her down on it.

Her fingers were quick to grab the hem of his tunic and work it up along his torso, eventually prompting him to remove it himself. He didn't bother to see where it landed after he tossed it aside.

He paused just long enough to appreciate the way she looked beneath him. Her pale skin was almost flawless, her body was perfect; her hair was silk black and her eyes were fire red.

She was beautiful.

Ungodly beautiful.

His lips dipped to her abdomen once again, this time accompanied by his fingers as they curled beneath the waistbands of her white leggings and panties. He kept in mind with how sensitive the fabrics could be, but still tugged them down her legs as quickly as he could. She had already managed to slip one shoe off with her foot and was in the process of kicking off the second one before he reached down and pulled it free. She arched her legs up to free them from the leggings as well and, after some minor shifting, eventually kicked them aside when he pulled them from her ankles.

His hands brushed the front of her legs this time before he lifted them up and moved to prop them over his shoulders. Hands grabbed at her hips as he leaned forward enough to force her legs into a higher arch; the edge of the bed pushed against his abdomen as he used his legs to keep his balance.

There was a brief gasp drawn from her as he pressed his lips between her legs; the tip of his tongue working itself between her wet folds before he slowly dragged it up. She squirmed briefly as he rolled his tongue against her hooded clit, which was already partially aroused. Fingers squeezed her hips as he stroked the organ again and again, feeling her shift around in his grasp.

Her heels dug into his back as he closed his lips around her clit and slowly began to suckle on the small organ. He could hear her moaning softly as his tongue continued to flicker back and forth against it; he could feel the way her thighs shifted against the sides of his head as she squirmed around in his hold. And he kept her in that hold until he thought her heels were going to bruise his spine as they rocked against his back with every stroke.

His mouth dipped down to her labia and he used his tongue to separate them before he gradually stroked over her opening. He could feel the slickness of her fluids; he could taste the warmth of it as it coated his tongue. Letting his tongue simply rub and stroke her over, he teased her again and again until her heels had moved to the back of his neck. The tip of his tongue gradually worked her open before he slowly slipped it into her.

"Ahh..."

She was never one to get loud, but the slight pitch in her voice was all he needed.

Her hand moved to the top of his head as fingers tangled tightly in his blonde hair- briefly scratching his scalp in the process.

His fingers dug her hips again before they moved to cradle her thighs in the palms of his hands, briefly lifting them to his advantage. Her body was warm and bittersweet as he slowly worked his tongue in and out of her. He waited until the trembling of her body ceased for a moment before he curled his tongue into that spot she wanted. What could've been a squeak escaped from her at the touch. He held tighter to her legs as they briefly kicked in reaction and slowly increased the pressure with each stroke, which eventually came sooner after one another. He even pulled her hips closer to him, sealing the space between her body and his tongue.

"Hrmm…" she called out once more as fingers dug harder into his scalp. "A-ah, Levail…"

His tongue pressed over that spot once again, feeling the way her hips lifted against him. A long, barely suppressed moan escaped her lips as she came. He tasted her warm fluid as it spilled around his lips and made its way down his throat. He waited until she had settled down and had removed the impression of her heels in his back before he took care of the spill; taking his time with running his tongue over every inch of her.

There was a dull throbbing in his jaw and his tongue felt stiff when he pulled away. But his lips pushed to the inside of her thigh and left tired embraces against her warm skin.

Her legs slowly pulled themselves from his shoulders before her feet pushed back against them, pushing him back from her. She pushed herself up from the bed and leaned forward as she pressed her lips to his own; the stiffness of his tongue made it easier for her to take advantage of him with the embrace. Her hands slipped underneath his arms before she fell back to the bed and pulled him forward on top of her. He used his arms to catch himself so his full weight didn't hurt her.

She was always so quiet spoken and docile, but she had moments where if she wanted something, she would take it.

And the way she overtook his mouth with her tongue referred to that small light of dominance.

Her hands slipped down his back, her fingers following the dip of his spine, before they briefly settled on his hips. Her fingertips were still trembling as they teased the waistband of his pants before they slipped down to his backside and lightly squeezed.

"Ah." It was his turn to gasp briefly at the gesture. "Lady Astrid, that wasn't very ladylike of you." he spoke, feeling the soft warmth of her breath against his lips.

"Everything right now isn't very ladylike." She reminded before her hands moved to his chest and pushed him from her. "Then again, a Knight shouldn't disgrace a lady when she's naked and he's still partly clothed."

He always found himself drawn to this side of her.

"My sincerest apologies." He offered as he pushed himself back to his feet, not surprised to find his legs a little weak.

He pulled off his boots and set them out of the way. Before he could work on his pants, however, she pushed herself back up and slipped her fingers underneath the waistband. He stilled at the motion, which was long enough for her to take over as she unzipped him and slowly pushed them from his waist. She seemed to take her time as she slowly worked his pants down, slowly relieving his cock of the tight pressure they had created. And when she finally did, her fingers were there to wrap around it. He stifled a brief groan at the light touch, feeling the way her fingertips brushed underneath his cock.

Her lips pressed against his abdomen and the tip of her tongue traced small shapes against his skin as her fingers gradually continued to stroke him. She managed to discard his pants with one hand while her lips moved down to his hip.

The sight of her below him drove his heart into his throat.

His hands went to her thin shoulders and pushed her back to the bed; he reached down and lifted her legs in his arms just as he climbed onto the bed with her- sliding her across the silk cover. He pulled her legs around him before he leaned down and brushed his lips to her chest once again. He wanted this to be about her; he only wanted to please her and give her a few hours to forget about her life outside of this moment.

He swore he covered every inch of her with his lips as he made fleeting embraces against her flushed skin- feeling the heat of it against his mouth. Her fingertips circled shapes against his shoulders, never once leaving them as he moved around her body. He had to be careful not to leave any residing marks- which was the difficult part of it. Even if the Senator didn't see them, he didn't want to leave behind any possible evidence. But he wanted to. He wanted to leave marks all over her, he wanted there to be proof that he could make her happy.

Her hands gently cradled his head when he kissed at her breast and eventually teased her nipple into a hardened bulb.

Her mouth was always welcoming, distracting him from the rest of her body when she needed to taste him.

It was when she pushed him aside and rolled him onto his back that he knew she was satisfied with his work. Her flushed thighs moved to straddle his waist before she slowly settled against his legs. He shuddered as she wrapped her fingers around his cock once more and slowly began stroking him; her hand moved from base to tip in steady pumps and he could feel himself twitching as she did so. Running her fingers against the underside of his cock again, she carefully pulled down on his foreskin and rubbed the flat of her thumb over the rounded head.

He curled his fingers into the sheets and heard his low moans come out like heavy gasps.

And it was only when her thumb had become slick with precum did she lift herself up.

The wetness of her folds against the head of his cock was enough to cause him to moan again as he felt her slowly rock herself over him- teasing them both with the action. His fingers moved to wait against her thighs as she slowly eased herself down onto him; she used one hand to keep his cock steady as she did so.

Oh Goddess…

Her body was so warm…

He groaned lightly as she worked her body down his cock until she had completely sheathed him inside of her. Fingers curled over her thighs now as he noticed the way her legs were tightly tucked in next to his hips, leaving herself spread over him, giving sight to where their two bodies were connected. Her hands were on his chest now, her fingers curled against his skin. She was biting into her lower lip as she slowly adjusted herself around him.

Eventually, she slid her hands forward and she leaned into them as she slowly began to work herself against his cock; her hips rocking back and forth against him.

A soft moan escaped him as he felt the warmth of her body as it began moving over him. She was tight and he could feel how her body squeezed around him with every downward thrust. Her hands pressed harder against his chest as she leaned her body forward, this time working her hips along the curve of his shaft. Oh Goddess…

The soft moans that escaped her lips drove him to pull her down to his willing mouth; causing her body to arch over his in the process.

Her hand moved to take one of his and pressed it into the bed space above his head before she repeated the action with the other one as well; eventually pinning both of his wrists underneath her hold. He didn't fight her and barely felt her supporting weight that pushed down on them.

She was rarely dominant, but he enjoyed the sight of her above him most.

He worked his hips with her downward thrusts, feeling the way their bodies made subtle contact with each other.

Her tongue was graceful against his as they slowly drew each embrace out for as long as they could, only to begin anew once one had lived out its course.

Time felt like it had slowed down between them.

He felt every stroke of her tongue, every embrace of her fingers around his wrists, every slow rock of her hips against him. He could feel the subtle touch of her breast against his chest, the slight tickle of her hair as it fell against his skin and moved with every thrust.

He didn't even want to think about someone else being with her in this way; he didn't want to think of her sharing a bed with someone else. The thought of her mouth on someone else's made him sick… His stomach turned every time he remembered that she was married, that she belonged to someone who would never appreciate or love her like he did.

Maybe not love…

She was beauty and perfection all wrapped together in the pale form of a strong woman.

He felt a growing heat in his loins and the rocking of her hips only made it worse. His heels dug into the bed to keep his legs from shaking while he heard his breathing turn heavy between their lips. He swore he could feel her smiling against his lips with every gasp.

She pushed her hips further down on him and he felt his back arch with the motion.

Fingers moved away from his wrists and slipped between fingers of his own, allowing him to squeeze her hands as he felt himself cum. Her lips pulled away just enough to hear the lengthy moan that escaped his throat with the release.

She didn't move from him as her hips slowly rocked over the base of his cock.

They had once gone out of their way to be extremely careful with this affair. They always made sure to never be caught by any of the house workers and they were always nervous about being in the bedroom together. They both had their own preventative measures for when they had sex: he never stayed inside of her and she had a back up just in case they slipped up somewhere. She never outright told him what it was, she just said it was an old wives recipe her sister, Penelope, had sent to her a week after her marriage. In a case of emergency, it would... 'cleanse' the body.

Eventually, with time, all of their worries were knocked down one by one.

It was impossible for the house workers to not know about them; a few of them had walked by them when they were getting intimate with one another- some had even walked in. But none of them had ever said anything- and he was certain if one of them had, Senator Lekain would've taken his revenge by now. The house workers seemed to hold some respect for her, possibly pity for the situation she was in.

At the risk of feeling invincible, they eventually became more comfortable with what they were doing. He became more confident in making her happy and she seemed more willing to accept him.

When the Senator became more adamant about her giving him an heir, she slowly became less protective about what they were doing. Despite his worry about it, worry about what might happen to her if they were in fact found out after all, she assured him if they were, it wouldn't be through the conception of a child. She explained that all of her nieces and nephews had black hair, proving it to be the more dominate color between two parents- so more than likely, regardless who fathered her a child, the child would have black hair. And, in the minority chance that it didn't, he and the Senator had similar colored hair anyways; it would be hard to notice.

She still used her sister's recipe in secret though, but she knew eventually the Senator would get suspicious over a lack of an heir. She was almost certain he'd kill her if he thought she was infertile.

If such came to be, however, she confessed she'd preferred to have his child instead.

She kissed him one more time before she slowly pulled away, releasing his hands from her grip. His fingers moved to skim along her body, squeezing her hips before he dipped them down to rub her clit. She squealed once again and squeezed his waist with her legs as she leaned back, giving him the right view of her mound. Her hips continued to roll down on him as his fingers rubbed her clit again and again, watching as she squirmed even more in his hold. He pressed harder and moved faster, feeling the way her hips pushed towards his touch, eager for his callous fingers.

She moaned with every other stroke, her fingers curled against his legs now before she arched her body upward. He felt the slight clench of her body around his cock and groaned himself as she came.

For a moment, there was only heavy breathing and subtle gasps as they let themselves come down from their high.

"Are you satisfied?" he whispered, feeling her fingers release themselves from his legs before they moved back to his chest. His own fingers moved to loosely trail up and down her arms when she did so.

"I will never truly be satisfied." She replied. "Only with you."

He knew what she meant.

She chuckled softly and rubbed her hands against his chest before she slowly moved to dismount from his waist- carefully pulling herself off of him first before she did. "Come on." She ushered as she pulled herself over to the edge of the bed and eased her legs over it. "I owe you a song."

***

He watched the way her fingers moved across the ivory keys once again, moving with a sense of grace and skill. The notes rang clearly in the large room, which provided the right amount of space for it to echo back to them. He didn't want to get in the way, but she insisted he sit down next to her and get a front row seat to the show.

The way she closed her eyes and went with the music told him that she had been practicing the piece and had it already memorized in her head. At least, she had a majority of it memorized; she still peeked up now and again to remember the next few notes.

"I didn't know you played." Levail admitted, speaking low so his voice didn't echo with the music.

She glanced over to him and smiled. "I've played for most of my life, it was something my mother wanted me to be able to do. I just never had a piano to practice on after… the wedding." her voice struggled to finish the sentence. "But, _he_ had a piano brought in a few weeks ago. I think it was just for show, but I figured I would take advantage of it when he wasn't around."

"What a terrible waste." He replied.

"But it's a show of money and that's all that matters." Astrid continued. "I supposed that's something we both represent."

Her voice sounded almost dead when she spoke.

It sent a cold shiver down his spine and made him sick to his stomach.

***

His fingers ran through her hair as she laid curled up next to him- her skin still flushed from their recent affair, which left his neck sore this time around.

He didn't sleep in her bed during the night- he wasn't stupid enough to press his luck that much. As much as he would've liked to, there were multiple times where either the Senator himself or one of his high-ranked lackeys returned earlier than expected. And the last thing they needed was for one of them to catch them in bed. A few close calls before had nearly convinced them to put an end to this affair just for one another's safety...

But he savored the small moments when he did lie next to her.

The weight of her on his arm, the softness of her hair as it fell loosely between his fingers, the warmth of her breath on his neck…

He couldn't keep doing this.

He couldn't keep leaving her here.

***

He woke the next morning and woke up to the disappointment of the cold, empty bed space next to him. He had slipped out soon after she had fallen asleep and gone to the guest room that was usually set up for him. For a few minutes, he laid there against the wrinkled sheets, letting the faint light outside of his window slowly ease the sleep from his eyes.

Ultimately, it was a noise from somewhere in the hallway that convinced him to get up.

He redressed and carefully adjusted his uniform before he stepped out to investigate. It was probably nothing, but under the illusion that he should take this job more seriously, he figured he could find out what it was. Judging from the order of things, the house workers had already gone through this wing and were working elsewhere; so the noise was probably one of them just moving some of the decorations around. Open and close issue.

However, when he started down the hallway, he heard the noise again and instinctively tried to follow it now.

The corridor eventually took him to several of the bathing rooms and the noise seemed to be originating from one of them. He started to turn away, not wanting to interrupt and figuring it might be one of the workers, but decided otherwise when he heard soft crying instead.

Against his better judgement, he quietly pushed open one of the cracked doors and peered in.

It was the long, wet black locks of hair that fell across her bare back that told him he was right.

She had pressed herself into one end of the bathing tub; her legs were pulled up to her chest where she kept her face hidden against her knees.

A silent sigh escaped him as he quietly stepped in and partly closed the door behind him. His footsteps were surprisingly silent as he walked over to her and she only seemed to notice him when she lifted her head to wipe away her tears. She seemed to still for a moment as he slowly seated himself next to the tub, sitting so he was facing her.

She didn't say anything at first, she didn't even look surprised to see him. She tried to clear her nose as quietly as she could as she brushed her fingers underneath her eyes- and did so until the tears finally stopped. Eventually fingers pushed her bangs out of her face and she slowly stretched her legs back out.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." She started as she pulled her limp hair over her shoulders, allowing for the wet strands to cover her bare breast. "I usually have this time alone."

"You should know there's no real time alone when I'm around." He replied, hoping to break the tension; the soft chuckle that escaped her seemed to prove that. He propped his arm on the edge of the tub and gently brushed the backs of his fingers against her shoulder. "Any plans for the day?"

"I was thinking about riding out into the forest today." She answered as she moved to rest her head on his propped arm, inadvertently getting the sleeve of his tunic wet. "I don't get to go out very often, so I might as well take advantage of it while I can."

He felt her hand rest against the same arm and gently squeeze it, before he moved his other hand to run his fingers through her wet hair. She had closed her eyes to take in the moment, allowing him to see the small bags underneath them and how they were slightly swollen from crying. For a moment, all he saw was the raw misery that had become her life now... the misery she had to live with day after day. This wasn't the same woman from the day before who had smiled as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her. This was a woman who had her life stripped away from her and could do little to change it.

He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her warm forehead. "I'm going to set you free… I promise."

***

They both rode out into the surrounding forest towards the back of the mansion and enjoyed the messy, overgrown scenery for what it was worth.

There was a dirt path to follow and at first, they stayed fairly strict to it. But it didn't take long before they ventured off and proceeded to almost get themselves lost amongst the other winding dirt trails that crossed over one another. He followed close beside her, only leaving her side when they weaved in and out of the trees or followed different paths- only to cross each other at the end of them.

The silence was perfect and was only broken by the occasional laugh shared between them.

At one point, she darted away from his side and initiated a chase as he was forced to race after her. And as soon as he caught up with her, he pulled ahead and left her behind him- forcing her to chase him in return.

The forest was larger than he thought it was and he was almost certain they were going to end up lost with their reckless behavior. Not that that did anything to stop them though.

Eventually, they settled down to enjoy a brisk walk- giving the horses a chance to relax.

He was more focused on the birds flying wild patterns above him to even notice that she had stopped.

"Do you see that?" she asked.

He turned away from the birds and saw her pointing to an apple tree just a few yards from them. Or at least, that's what he assumed she was referring to; he didn't exactly see anything else asides from other trees around.

"What about it?" he replied.

"I'm going to shoot one down."

He started to question what exactly she meant, but instead opted to watch as she shifted through the unusually large bag that hung from the side of her saddle. He had meant to question why she felt the need to bring it, but with his better judgement, he decided to leave the topic alone. After a few seconds, she withdrew a bow and pulled a single arrow from a separate pocket. He watched as she prepped the bow and slowly raised it to the height and angle she needed. She held the pose for a minute or so, readying her aim and when she seemed confident with her preparation, she let the arrow fly.

He held his breath as he watched it soar and shoot down the exact apple she had pointed at- knocking it clean off the branch it hung from. Both the apple and the arrow struck the ground as one piece a yard or so away.

"I honestly thought I was going to miss for a minute there." She spoke, giving out a laugh of relief as she lowered her bow. "That would've been embarrassing after such a show of confidence."

"Where did you learn to shoot?" he asked, never even knowing she touched a bow, let alone owned one.

"First the piano and now the bow, I think there's a lot you may not know about me." She humored lightly as she slipped the bow back into her bag. "I don't have any brothers, so my father thought he could at least teach his daughters something useful. He figured archery was as close to a feminine class as he could get, so he tried to give us a few lessons. We thought it was boring, so none of us really paid attention. But I remembered most of the basics and tried to teach myself a few years later. I don't practice as much as I should though."

"An Archer on horseback, I'm impressed." He replied. "I haven't seen an Archer do that before."

"Probably because most Archers are more professional than I am." She remarked as she rode over to where the arrow had landed. Leaning over in her saddle, she reached down and plucked the arrow with the apple from the ground. Pulling herself back up, she turned around and held it out to him.

He chuckled as he rode over to her and took the apple from her. It was almost a clean shot. Not necessarily the hardest shot to pull off by any means, but the fact she had done so with such grace left him wanting to see her do it again. Pulling the arrow free, he handed it back to her.

"Shoot down another one."

***

They bathed again when they returned to the mansion.

As it turned out, that break they took in the field clearing just beyond the forest left them dirtier than he thought. But no amount of hot water could clean the image of her beneath him, fingers pulling at the grass and digging into the ground.

The kitchen had lunch ready by the time they had finished bathing and redressing and she teased that they had worked up an appetite during their ride.

"I feel bad for her." One of the maids remarked when she thought she was out of earshot. "The Master has him following her like a dog. She gets absolutely no privacy."

***

The sun was already down when they found themselves back in the piano room once more, with him listening to her play another song for him. It was a slower melody this time as her fingers lingered on every key.

"Do you really have to leave early tomorrow?" she asked, finally breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in between them. Her eyes were open this time, but she wasn't looking at the music or at her hands, she was just... looking.

He knew that question was bound to come up eventually. "Yes. General Zelgius needs my assistance with some confidential plans for the Apostle and I need to leave early in order to get to the capital in time."

She frowned, but continued on with her music. "I understand."

He watched as her fingers danced across the keys, picking up pace now to keep with the written melody. "Senator Lekain already knows of my early leave and has approved of it."

She hummed lightly in response.

"How much time would you need to pack?"

His question seemed to go unnoticed as she continued to play. But the melody began to slow down again until it eventually came to a stop as her fingers almost appeared glued to the final keys. Her lips were tightly pressed together as she turned to look at him and he swore he thought she was shaking. "… What are you saying?"

He felt that cold chill again.

"I told you I would set you free." He started.

"He'll know it was you." She objected. "I can't put you in that kind of danger."

He knew she would try to put him first.

"I've cemented my alibi elsewhere; Senator Lekain already knows I'll be gone tomorrow, leaving you alone until his return the following day." He explained. "He knows I'll be with General Zelgius for at least a week's time, so that keeps me off of the table for blame. He'll want to, he'll probably know it was me, but it's useless if he can't prove it."

She didn't respond immediately and instead curled her fingers against the edge of the keyboard.

"… And how exactly do I get pulled into this?" she slowly queried.

"I'll return here later tomorrow night." He answered, a little surprised at how strongly he was speaking. He was solely trying to convince her that this was possible, that he could protect her, that... she could truly be free. And as nervous and cold as he felt on the inside, he couldn't let her see that. He had to make her see that this was within reach. "And I'll get you out. There will be no security, you'll have almost half a day ahead of him and when he calls me to track you down, I'll go in the wrong direction."

Again, silence.

She was definitely shaking now as her fingers dropped to curl into the folds of her dress. "I…"

"Just make sure you stay in sight for most of the day tomorrow, make sure most of the house workers can confirm that you were inside all day." he continued, feeling his own hands begin to shake. "It'll further the evidence that we were in two different places and sever any major connecting points between us." he paused briefly before he reached over and placed one hand on top of hers. "It's not perfect, I know. I don't know where you'll go after this, I don't know what might become of you-"

"It doesn't matter." She whispered as she turned and fell against him; her head pressed into his shoulder. "Anywhere is better than here."

***

He stayed with her that night.

And he held her close the entire time.

*** 

They made love one more time before he left.

And he promised her again and again that he would come back for her.

***

The sun was barely up when he departed from the mansion.

And the sun was already down when he returned later that night.

He tied up his mount at the opening of the forest and walked the rest of the way to the mansion to keep his tracks as silent as possible. He kept himself out of sight and well out of the path of the guards on duty- for once their rather lazy perimeter runs came out to his favor. The outside fires hadn't even been lit, so the extra shadows gave him plenty of elbow room.

It took him some time to find the window she said she would be coming from and when he finally did, he waited with baited breath until he saw it open. They had only lost about ten minutes, but it could be easier recovered.

She slipped out of the window with relative ease and managed to partly slide it closed behind her. When she steadied herself, she made the jump from the windowsill to the nearby tree look easy. It felt like his heart was in his throat the entire time as he watched her regain her footing before she made her way down the tree and eventually jumped to the ground below.

If anyone had heard them, they made no effort to catch them.

The regal dresses she had worn every time he'd seen her had been traded in for a long, pale tunic and thick leggings. Her low heels had been tossed away for a more comfortable pair of boots- ones he wasn't entirely sure where she got them from. She had a simple bag over her shoulder and nothing more.

She was paler than usual and he was certain her heart was in her throat just the same.

"I went for a ride earlier and left my horse near the forest." She whispered as fingers tugged on the strap of her bag. "I figured it was easier than trying to take him from the barn."

"That's smart." He nodded. "Are you sure this is everything?"

"It's all I want." She replied. "I don't need anything to remind me of this horrid place."

He gave no further arguments and simply ushered for her to follow him.

They made it across the surrounding field and into the forest with ease- the kind of ease that said this was being executed in their favor far too well. He untied his horse and she rode with him into the forest, guiding him to where she had tied up her own mount; the young horse looked a little anxious at her arrival and eagerly waited for her to free him.

With nothing left to hold them back, he took her away.

***

The breeze was warm and salty as it blew across the dock and ruffled the sails above them. He wasn't a fan of the water, in fact the endless horizon of it made his skin crawl. He didn't even like standing on the dock either... but he needed to be here.

It had been months since they ran. He had managed to get back to the capital that next morning without garnering any suspicion, while she managed to stay with one of her sisters nearby; her sister's husband, another wealthy Senator, had been out on business as well. He played dumb when Lekain came to him about her disappearance and assured him that he would try to find her- faking that it was his responsibility to do so.

He searched for days for her before he allowed another unit to take his place when he was called back to the capital- under General Zelgius' orders. After two weeks' time and no one having a clue about her presence, she was determined to be missing; and after a month, Lekain marked her up as dead and terminated the marriage license between them- presumably to take advantage of the next daughter in line of a wealthy family.

She was finally free of him.

Under a brief alias, she joined the Begnion Knights and moved on with her life from there. They kept minimum contact, making sure there wasn't a trail to follow even after the ordeal seemed to blow over. But he got a letter from her about her departure and made time to come down and see her out.

Where he felt uncomfortable even standing on the dock, she seemed at ease- even with the hustling of workers around them trying to load up some last minute stocks of supplies.

Well, perhaps she looked a little nervous.

"It sounds dangerous, but… you'll be safe and I know you can do this." Levail started, perhaps trying to calm his own nerves at the thought of her departure across the ocean.

She offered him a smile as though to try to calm him as well.

"Being on the same boat as the Apostle is a little nerve wrecking." She started as she tugged on the tight collar of her tunic. "And being in charge of keeping her safe is even worse."

"You'll get used to it- after all, from here on out you'll constantly be defending someone." he replied, giving a brief chuckle at her words. "And if anything happens, Goddess forbid it, you're in good hands with that bodyguard of yours. Just don't… let those hands get too close."

Astrid smiled briefly and turned as a few soldiers loudly called from the boat. "I… I think that's my cue that we're boarding now."

This was more difficult than he thought it'd be.

He had watched her go from a miserable arranged wife to a stunning Archer who would be handling the weight of protecting the Apostle on her voyage. She had gone from one extreme to the next and, while he had been absent during most of her transition, he could see what she had finally become. And while she looked odd dressed in a strict uniform and armor... it was far more fitting for her and she surprisingly pulled it off well.

But she didn't need him to make her happy anymore...

She was happy all on her own now.

"I don't want to make you late then." he started reluctantly, as he pushed down on the brief ache in his chest. "Please be careful."

She nodded before her hands moved to take his and gently squeeze them. "Thank you."

"I had to do what needed to be done." He spoke. "But you did most of this on your own, I can't take credit for that."

Her hands squeezed his once more, harder this time, before she leaned up and touched her lips to his. It was the first warm contact they had had in a long time and it was just as weakening as the others... but it ended as soon as it began.

She placed one hand on his chest, as though she was about to say something before she abruptly changed her mind. He watched as she gave him one more smile before she turned and headed towards one of the loading ramps where a few of the other soldiers on duty were climbing up. The blonde-haired man she had hired beforehand was waiting for her and seemed to grin almost too enthusiastically at her approach.

He waited until she was on board before he turned to leave- eager to leave the uncertainty of the dock for more stable footing.

She would be just fine without him.

He would move on without her.

And all those fleeting moments they had between them would dissolve into memories of a past they would both try to forget about.


End file.
